How USAID Was Dismantled—and What the World Lost - Nicholas Enrich

In episode 84 of Going anti-Viral, Nicholas Enrich joins host Dr Michael Saag to discuss his book Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID. Mr Enrich is a former civil servant who worked at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under 4 administrations. He served as the Bureau of Global Health director of policy, programs, and planning until January 2025, when he was designated as the USAID acting assistant administrator for global health. On March 2, 2025, he was placed on administrative leave for addressing the Trump administration dismantling of USAID. Mr Enrich provides an overview of the history and work of USAID prior to 2025 including the success of programs like the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and nutrition and food security programs. He then shares his firsthand account of the dismantling of USAID under the Trump administration including the actions by political appointees and staff from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Mr Enrich and Dr Saag explore the impact of the Administration’s policy on global health, development, and international partnerships and discuss the long-term consequences of the dismantling of USAID.0:00 – Introduction 1:17 – What was USAID and its global impact before 20253:00 – USAID work in global health and food security5:10 – The inception and impact of PEPFAR8:07 – US politics and the continuity of USAID during the first Trump Administration13:29 – The executive order to freeze foreign aid and its implications15:37 – Legal questions around the executive order and appropriations law18:24 – Experience with DOGE and the management style of Elon Musk 21:30 – Stories of chaos by the DOGE team and destruction within USAID 26:17 – How the political leadership of USAID was unaware of the work of the agency and implications on current health outbreaks like Ebola 32:10 – The long-term consequences of dismantling USAID and rebuilding trust 40:33 – Nicholas Enrich's current work and future plansResources:Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAIDhttps://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Into-the-Wood-Chipper/Nicholas-Enrich/9781668226957Cast of Hair perform Let The Sunshine In on The Ed Sullivan Show, March 30, 1969https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCXSA_biSw4&t=200s __________________________________________________Produced by IAS-USA, Going anti–Viral is a podcast for clinicians involved in research and care in HIV, its complications, and other viral infections. This podcast is intended as a technical source of information for specialists in this field, but anyone listening will enjoy learning more about the state of modern medicine around viral infections.Going anti-Viral’s host is Dr Michael Saag, a physician, prominent HIV researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and volunteer IAS–USA board member. In most episodes, Dr Saag interviews an expert in infectious diseases or emerging pandemics about their area of specialty and current developments in the field. Other episodes are drawn from the IAS–USA vast catalogue of panel discussions, Dialogues, and other audio from various meetings and conferences. Email [email protected] to send feedback, show suggestions, or questions to be answered on a later episode.Follow Going anti-Viral on: Apple Podcasts YouTubeXFacebookInstagram...